


Through the Vale

by Hellomellow



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Super Sons (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellomellow/pseuds/Hellomellow
Summary: Damian Al Ghul had a sister once, and maybe he can have one again.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Mara al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Mara al Ghul & Jason Todd, Mara al Ghul & Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 9
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's starting to think he's a magnet that exclusively attracts the anger of prepubescent assassins

It was 11:53 pm. He was so close, _so close_ , to being done with patrol. 

_Of course something had to get in the way_ , Tim thinks bitterly 

It's Friday night and he and Steph had planned to meet up at her place after patrol to watch movies. Late May meant that they were both busy school finals on top of all the vigilantly stuff. It also meant that they hadn’t seen each other in weeks. The blonde was going to kill him for standing her up _again_ , “Red Robin to Oracle" 

Nothing 

“Come in Oracle”

Nothing

After a few minutes of silence he tries again, a bit of frustration slipping into his voice “Red Robin to Or-“

“I thought you had plans tonight” his com crackles to life with the woman’s voice

_Finally_

He rolls his eyes “I _did_ , things changed”

“Sorry for the wait, Red Hoods keeping me busy tracking security footage down in Crime Alley” he hears a bit mirth in the woman’s voice “Oracle here” 

“I need backup at the warehouses by 5th and Manning”

Tim can hear her hum softly as she clicks a few buttons on her computer “Okay I got your location, threat level?”

He hesitates, taking into account the sluggishly bleeding gash on his arm before glancing at the struggling body below him. He rattles off the basics: his wounds, the attackers approximate age, the League robes, and her currently restrained position on the floor 

“B and Robin are in route. Hold tight”

Tim sighs as he looks back over at the little assassin he’d manage to incapacitate. A girl, around 10 old. Small frame, but the bruises littering his body are a testament to the lithe muscle she hid behind her thick robes.

He pauses, giving her a better look. Not to doubt his knot-tying skills, but he’s a bit unsure of how long the rope will hold her thrashing body.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he says offhandedly, running a hand through his sweaty hair. Tim is unsure if the moisture is due to the fight, irritation from his wound, or the early May heatwave. He leans against the wall and massages his temple as he checks his watch and- _wow, when did it get so late_? Tim stays there for a few minutes but perks up when he hears a soft thud on the rooftop. Dick is here. 

Good. 

He’d always been better when it came to dealing with bite-sized assassins 

* * *

Damian frowns when he lands on the roof of the warehouse. He and Richard had been called in as back up, but the boy can’t hear any fighting- though it would be _so_ like Drake to call in Batman for a minor provocation- but supposes that that makes sense considering the information Oracle had passed along about the attacker. 

Female. 

Restrained. 

Connection to the League of Assassins 

Batman and Robin make their way inside the old building. Drake is leaned against a wall massaging his temples as if he has a migraine. He lifts his head as they approach.

Red Robin falls into his training as he gives Batman a play by play of the fight. Damian slinks away from them in order to get a look at the would-be-assassin. Turning the corner she comes into view. _Small_ , he notes, _but is she young or short..._ His mind begins to run through any notable members that match her physique. There had been very few children at the League, other than-

His chest expands painfully as the assassin lifts her head. Through the red mask a pair of mismatched eyes lock their gaze with his green ones. 

No

_This can’t be real_ his mind insists 

And yet, he still shouts “Mara?!”

Xxx

The girl glares up at him “Is this how you welcome your own flesh and blood?” 

His face scrunches in confusion. He hasn’t seen his sister in over a year, why had she come to Gotham now? _Probably to ruin my life_

“You’re a hard one to track down” her eyes flicker to the hallways he’s just emerged from “I’ve been looking for you all night” 

Damian can do nothing but stare at the girl before him, a bead of fear swelling up as her eyes tracked him beneath her mask. Images of carnage and bloodlust pass before his own covered eyes, twin body’s fighting side by side. He tries to wills the memories away and instead visions of his partners- his _brother’s-_ invades his mind. He _has_ to get rid of Mara, has to keep his two worlds separated. 

“Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna say something?” A bit of anger slips into her voice

The boy is about to answer when he hears light footsteps coming from the hall, not a moment later he finds himself staring up at his older brother.

“Robin report” though he’s using his Batman voice, an unspoken concern tints Richards words, obviously noticing the shaken expression on Damian's face. The boy quickly adopts his usual sneering expression as he prepares a response. He’d have to be careful with his words, providing enough information to satisfy the older boys without revealing more of his unsavory past than necessary. 

“Actually me and _Robin_ were in the middle of something” her voice mocks his new title and Damian has to swallow the defensiveness that begins to swell up. 

He ignores her in favor of turning to fully face the Batman “League of Assassins initiate: Mara Al Ghul, female, 11 years of age-“

“Al Ghul?” Drake interrupts “I didn’t know there were any Al Ghuls beyond Ra’s, Talia, Nyssa and… well…” he shrugs his shoulders

Damian stops himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. He wanted to handle this delicately, but really nothing about this situation was _delicate_ , so he decided to go a bit more direct “This is Mara Al Ghul, my sister”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do if you find an 11 year old assassin trying to kill your little brother? If your Dick Grayson then you bring her home to the Batcave.

“A sister” Dick exclaims

They’ve reached the Cave and he is considering removing his cowl. _She already knows your identity_ his brain reminds him. When he and Red Robin attempted to transport the still restrained girl into the Batmobile she had insisted she didn’t need help from _two prissy Gotham socialites_. The man groans as he thinks of the tense 10-minute ride he’d just endured in the Batmobile. Because really, how could it not be tense when Tim was glaring at Damian- angry about the information the boy had withheld from them- Damian was glaring at Mara- suspicious and confused at her sudden appearance- and Dick was trying to make polite conversation. The girl herself was casually watching the street pass by, looking smug.

They exit the car. 

Tim had suffered a few minor injuries in his scramble to subdue Mara and headed to medical to get his arm stitched up. He leaves with a wave and a mumble about having to cancel some plans. Dick can feel sweat collecting under the thick material of his cowl, _god how did Bruce wear this for all those years?_

It really couldn’t do much harm, he decides, slipping the offending garment off his head. He opens the back door and Mara gets out of the car, only slightly hindered by her bound wrists. He leads the three of them to a small bench and sits the girl down

“There aren’t any more of you right?” He laughs, only half-joking. 

Silence 

“Right?”

“There is Mother’s Leviathan program-“ the boy begins, but is cut off by his sister's shout of “Damian!”

Through the mask he can only see her eyes, but he can tell the girl has scrunched her brows, scandalized at his willingness to divulge League secrets. Though if Dick isn’t mistaken he can see a small glimmer of pride dance through her eyes at her brother's action.

She tilts her head as she inspects Damian. “Mother’s made a miscalculation” the boy gives her a confused glance “she didn’t think you’d become so... _comfortable_ here” 

Damian simply scowls and crosses his arms. “What do you want Mara? Talia never lets you off your leash without good reason”

“What he means to say” Dick interjects, giving a pointed look at the little bird “is that you came to Gotham to find us, why?”

Up until this point the newly discovered Mara Al Ghul had been the picture of League brand perfection- back straight, feet planted, lips pulled into an _I’m better then you smile_. He’s reminded of how Damian acted when he first came to the manor, less decapitation this time around, but the attitude was still there. 

“I know perfectly well what my brother meant” she snaps forwards with a hiss 

Damian subconsciously shifts himself in front of Dick in response to her combative stance. The man can’t help but smile at his protectiveness.

“But if I’m to answer any question you’ll need to untie me” he and Damian share twin looks of doubt “aren’t you Heros big on the whole _trust_ thing?” He doesn’t _want_ to trust the girl- she is League after all- but he also doesn’t want to have an 11-year-old shackled up in his basement. And well,.. she’s also kind of right. They want her to give them information so the least they could do was offer a bit of trust. Dick approaches the girl, who in turn twists to bare her bound arms to him. He quickly undoes the rope and is rewarded with a small nod from Mara. 

She stretches her wrists, testing the mobility “There, a show of good faith. Now _talk_ ” Damian demands 

“Fine” The girl glares at him as she rises to her feet “I’m not here because of Mother, she’s not even- I mean she’s no longer-“ Mara shakes her head and starts again “what I meant to say was… Father's death has been noticed” she begins lamely 

Dick and Damian look at each other, confused 

“It was never a secret” 

“The League has been... chaotic as of late”

“....He died 7 months ago”

The girl tilts her head to glare at Dick and he has to admit that the mask is more than a little unnerving, “well it’s gone _unnoticed_ , until last month anyways” 

“And because he knows _now_ Grandfather is planning to retrieve you” this she directs at Damian

“He’s _what?”_

The two kids ignore his comment 

“But I'm meant to train here. I told Mother that my place was Gotham”

She shrugs “Even mother has to bend to Ra’s will”

“He’s not going back” Dick crosses his arm

Mara eyes her brother but turns to the older boy “My brother was sent here to train with _Father_. That is no longer an option so he’s being recalled” 

Dick feels a little lightheaded, he sees Damian shoulders tense up as if expecting his sister to drag him back to the Himalayas herself.

He puts a hand on Damian's shoulder as if to reassure himself that he’s still there. “Over my dead body”

The assassin looks unimpressed with him “I’ve not come to this God-forsaken city to retrieve him for Grandfather” she insists, waving him off with her hand “Mother and I had planned to extract him from Gotham before Ra’s could get to him so we might gather those sympathetic to our cause, but I can see he’s already found himself allies” she gives Dick a pointed look, “so perhaps only a warning is necessary.”

Now Dick is confused. She came to Gotham, started a fight with Tim, and revealed this damning information. He’d assumed the next step would be a threat of _you’ll never escape us so don’t even try_ or something else that sounded like it was posted on a “How to Monologue like a Super Villain” webpage. Supervillains always loved a monologue

“Grandfather wants you- _needs you_ \- back as soon as possible. His...” she looks unsure of herself as she considers her words. “His body is failing him. The healers haven’t worked, or the Lazarus, _nothing_ has worked. He had originally planned for you and mother to take over the League after his death, but when you chose to train with Father his faith in your loyalty wavered.”

Dick can feel waves anger rolling off of the boy beside him.

“He doesn't want an heir anymore, he wants a vessel. He and Mother couldn’t think of anyone better than you-” 

“Liar!” He accuses as he throws himself forward

Damian had been glaring at the floor for a majority of the conversation so it was more than startling when he suddenly darted towards the unsuspecting girl.

“You’ve never been very clever, but even you should have known I’d see through such a boldfaced lie. Mother would never help him!” His sister dodged a flurry of attacks, and Dick can’t help but note that she’s yet to loose one of her own. The girl flips away from his fist “you never _listen_ ” she shouts, her voice filled with frustration “you only act, and yet somehow grandfather _still_ wanted you, I don’t understand it!” Damian manages to land a kick to her face when she attempts another flip. The impact sends her mask skidding across the stone floor, but before any real damage can be done Dick jumps forward and restrains the 11-year-old. 

Mara steps away from the pair and Dick can see her face for the first time. Dark brown hair frames her mismatched eyes. By all means the strange colored orbs should have been the most striking part of her appearance but his attention is called instead to the massive scar residing on the right side of her face. The wound is old, at least by a few years, but the healed tissue is still angry and red where it cuts through her eyebrow and cheek. To get a scar like that you have to get cut _deep_ and it makes the man a little dizzy thinking of what monster would do that to a child. 

Mara is breathing heavily and Dick can see a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. _Weird_. She is _way_ too winded for someone trained by the League of Assassins. 

Now that her face is visible it strikes Dick how _young_ she is. She can’t be much younger than Damian. He scans her face to see if Damian's brutal kick left any damage and is relieved when he finds none. As she watches him restrain her brother a wave of anger passes over Mara's face, and for a brief moment she even looks hurt. He blinks and the expression vanishes into one of indifference. 

“Your right, Mother would never subject you to such a fate- not willingly. She offered her Leviathan but Grandfather found it… unsatisfactory”

It's the second time that word has been mentioned. Dick makes a note to ask Damian about whatever the hell Talia is cooking up with her Leviathan program. Not for the first time that night, Dick wonders where the woman is.

“The only reason you weren’t pulled from Gotham weeks ago was because of mother and me” she growls, slipping back into her rigid posture. “We tried to reason with Grandfather, and when that didn’t work, we argued. When _that_ didn’t work, we killed the extraction party he sent out. I’m here as a last resort”

Damian is looking slightly less murderous than before, so Dick assumes it’s all right to let him go. 

“She tried Damian but Grandfather is too powerful” her expression is neutral, but he can hear a slight shudder in her voice as she continues “he killed her and threw her in the Lazarus” 

Damian is staring intently at his sister “so she’s still alive, we could _save her_ -“ 

The girl shakes her head sadly “She isn’t in her right mind. If she comes to you- it doesn’t matter what she says- you cannot trust her”

Dick isn’t sure what to say to that, and it’s obvious by Damian's silence that he doesn’t either. 

His little brother recovers from his shock much faster than him. The boy moves forward as if to march up to Mara. Knowing that another fight is likely, he tries to comfort his brother with a gentle hand on his shoulder and is rewarded as he watches some of the tension slip from his body. Mara follows the exchange with interest. She leans on the rail behind her and Dick can see a slight shake in her hand as she grips the metal. He watches as she chews on her cheek, staring intently on the hand resting on Damian. 

Her eyes remain on the point connecting the two “grandfather won’t stop till he has a vessel, I suggest you begin your preparations” she says with a strange bitterness to her voice. “I’ve kept my promise to mother, you know what’s coming. I’ll take my leave” she says, giving a small huff of effort as she pushes away from the railing to move towards the cave's exit. 

Dick almost laughs then, because _where the hell does she think she’s going_? After betraying Ra’s the entire League of Assassins would be after her and- disregarding her mother and brother- he’s pretty sure she doesn’t have anyone to contact. 

Dick stops laughing when he sees the way Mara is walking. She seems to be favoring her left leg but there are no major injuries visible. He remembers the bead of sweat that had run down her forehead, the light pants she used to catch her breath, the deep flush of her cheeks. _She’s hurt_ , probably has an infection.

“Wait” he finds himself saying

She pauses, to Dicks surprise 

“At least let us patch you up. You’re tired, injured, and I bet you haven’t eaten all day” he says gently but without room for discussion

Apparently, Mara did see some wiggle room in his offer. “No, it’s not safe,” she says, her voice raising 

“Let her go, Grayson. She wanted to defect, she can face the consequences” Damian chimes in coldly

He can see the girl's anger rising with each word from her brother's mouth. Mara takes in a labored breath to calm herself as she wipes the moisture from her brow

Damian meets his sister's angry eyes “She won’t matter soon, Ra’s doesn’t need her as an heir or a vessel. Mara’s not important enough”

Dick doesn’t have time to react before Mara tackles her brother. Possible wound or no, the girl is fast. Soon she has Damian on his back, pinning his arms. The boy gets over his initial shock and begins to fight back. They exchange insults in Arabic as they struggle, but soon Damian manages to wiggle free, kicking his sister square in the chest and sending her skidding across the room. Damian jumps up quickly but before he can land a particularly vicious hit on the floor-bound girl Dick pulls him away. The fighting, the late-night, and the possible wound are all too much for Mara if going by how pale her face becomes as she struggles to her feet.

“I don’t need your approval” she spits “and I _don’t_ need your help” 

“Mara just-“ Dick tries

“I’ll be fine!” the girl declares even as she sways on her wobbly legs. She looks frightened and confused and like she desperately wants to leave 

“Or will I?” She considers with a pitiful laugh 

The boy tuts in an unimpressed manner.

She shakes her head “But it doesn’t matter, it’s like you said: I’m not important” Dick let’s go of Damian in favor of slowly approaching Mara. She’s made her way back to the metal railing, her knuckles going white around its bars as she grips them in an effort to ground herself. Working with someone as reckless as Jason, Dick has a lot of experience with people on the verge of passing out and never was he more glad of it then when Mara’s unconscious body slumped into his arms.

The man breathes a sigh of relief as he passes his younger brother. Damian looks between him and his sister with a confused face “I didn’t know she was injured” he insists “I didn’t mean to-“ 

Dick smiles down at him ”it’s late, just make sure you catch a shower before you go upstairs” he says with a small smile, watching the boy head towards the locker room with an unsure expression. 

“Now,” he says to the limp body in his arms “let's get you patched up little sis”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter whoop whoop! I plan on writing a separate one-shot on Mara's scar but if you wanna check out the comic she got it in here's a link: https://comicnewbies.com/2017/01/01/damian-wayne-vs-mara/ 
> 
> And omg I love Mara's mask, the horns?? The color??? The SCAR??? Ugh I love her shes so dramatic. Here's a link so that you can enjoy it too lol: https://pm1.narvii.com/6913/d94d2e835b0f57e4ed035b028808610409fb4d63r1-255-365v2_hq.jpg


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a chapter in which Mara sleeps, Damian worries, and Tim places a bet

Mara has been asleep for 38 hours. 

Nearly two days. As far as Damian can remember, she’s never taken this much continuous time to heal. Sure, when she’d broken her ulna a few years ago the heiress had been given two weeks of leniency but she’d still been expected to train. Plus, his sister had only rested a few extra hours the day after her accident. 

Mara has been asleep for 38 hours. Damian is starting to worry

Richard tries to get him to talk about how all this is making him feel. Which, frankly, he feels nauseated. He wishes he’d never found out about Ras’s plans, or Mother’s death, or even about Mara’s escape. His life at the manor was barely starting to settle but with all that had come to light… Is it so bad to want a bit of normalcy? To not have to worry about legacies and heroes and assassins? He won’t tell that to his nosy brother though. No way. 

Because of his lack of response to Richard's emotional manipulations, the man moves on to logistics. _How old is Mara? Was she conceived separately or are you twins? What is Leviathan?_ And most importantly _Why didn’t you tell me little D?_

Damian scowls at the last one. He could have deflected it as he does with most of the insufferable questions people expect him to answer, but Richard had looked so _sad_. So hurt. He looked betrayed and Damian couldn’t help but feel like the demon he was accused of being when he saw the kind of pain he had unwittingly put his brother through.

Brother…

That was another thing Mara’s appearance had resurfaced. In the League, they were taught that blood was the most important tie to have. Having a strong bloodline and family that protected their own would bring power and status. On Infinity Island he only had Mara and thought that she was all he’d ever have. But now… 

He’d been growing fond of Richard, even referring to the man as ‘brother’ in his mind, something he thinks his father would be proud of. Though, those fraternal sentiments extended exclusively to Richard. He supposes it is because everyone else in the manor is embarrassingly incompetent compared to himself. Their shortcomings make Richard seem all the more tolerable in comparison. 

Damian looks up from his plate. 

He hears more then he sees the man walking through the hallway. The boy thinks back to the incident in the cave Friday night and how pitiful his sister had looked as his brother carried her away. He shoves another bite of lunch into his mouth.

The situation had been handled poorly. Still… Mara’s family, they are supposed to look out for each other. She had risked everything to warn him, and Damian had told her to leave. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The siblings had not seen each other in a year and the first thing he had done was try to get rid of her. But Damian couldn’t help himself. It's been difficult to gain footing at the manor, at times he still feels as though Drake and Todd are plotting ways to get rid of him. When Mara had arrived he envisioned her spilling secrets about his past, feeding the fire of distrust between him and his father’s sons. Even after she had explained her intentions he had waited for the other shoe to drop, for her to reveal her hidden motive.

An apology is in order, he decides. But oh how he loathes apologies. Mara can’t be that angry though, she had risked her life to see him. She wouldn’t let a little spat deter her now. 

He hears light footsteps approaching as Drake enters the dining room. The other boy grabs a cup of coffee and sinks into a chair as Alfred appears to provide him with a plater. 

“Good afternoon Master Timothy, I was worried you wouldn’t be alert enough to attend lunch”

Damian is not sure if _alert_ is the correct way to describe the teen, going off of his deep bags and hooded eyes. Drake chuckles at Alfred’s comment nonetheless, “Special occasion, I found something interesting.” He turns to Damian “speaking of which, do you think you could get Dick to the Cave in 20?” 

“Tt of course” 

* * *

Damian is pacing around the Cave. Tim has known the preteen for over a year- though at least a third of that time has been spent fleeing the little demons assassination attempts- yet he has never seen him look so worried. Damian is bratty and angry and uptight so it is downright _weird_ to see him do something as thoughtful as _pace with worry_. 

He catches the younger boy glancing back at the Medbay every once and a while. Tim had missed the Al Ghuls’ showdown, but according to Dick it had been more like a siblings spat- made more dangerous by their combat training- then a true fight. 

It takes another 5 minutes before Dick enters the cave. Tim raises an eyebrow at his older brother “You’re late”

The man in question just shrugs “What do you got for us, Timmy?” 

He pulls a file with a small picture of Damian and Mara to the front of the computer screen. 

“The DNA test came back positive: she’s definitely his sister”

“You think I would lie?” The boy’s voice raises

“No,” he says evenly “but it doesn’t hurt to check.”

Damian relaxes at that and Tim has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He could be _so_ dramatic.

“I checked in with a contact in the League, he wasn’t able to corroborate Mara’s full story but he did say that orders from the higher-ups have been erratic and contradictory”

He opens another file on the screen and a pixelated image of a woman in the jungle pops up. 

“Talia was spotted on Infinity Island a week ago and our contact said she’s been M.I.A. for at least twice that long” from the corner of his eye he can see Dick frown 

“As far as I can see, Mara is telling us the truth: There’s been a noticeable level of disorganization from the League this last month and whatever’s causing it is tightly under wraps.” 

“Which alines with the ‘Ra’s needs a new body’ story because no way does he lets _that_ little tidbit slip into casual conversation” 

Tim nods at his older brother “and if she’s telling the truth about Ra’s then she’s probably telling the truth about Talia”

He looks over to Damian, his face is set in its usual scowl, but his eyes hold a sadness in them as he inspects the grainy photo of his mother. 

“I’m sorry” slips off his tongue, but upon seeing the outraged face the younger boy makes Tim knows he’s said the wrong thing. Damian opens his mouth in what is sure to be a vicious retort. The teen is ready to drop the papers in his hand so he can make a quick escape from the angry boy when a crash sounds from the direction of the Medbay.

Damian gives a quick glance at the two older men before dashing off in the direction of the noise.

“I guess she’s up”

Tim nods “Shouldn’t we be in there too? In case they start arguing again?”

“Let’s give them a minute to catch up” Dick leans back in a stretch “besides if they start a fight _we’ll know_ ”

Tim rests his chin on his hand “They’re twins right?”

“I think so...” 

“Who’s older?”

“Damian” Dick answers, at the same time Tim says “Mara”

They look at each other in confusion “How is Damian the oldest?”

“He’s a perfectionist, sets high standards, is a leader-“

“A leader?” Tim laughs “he doesn’t lead, he controls. _Probably_ because with an _older_ sister to compete with he was never really allowed to be in charge. When he came to Gotham and realized he had two new "rivals" he up-ed the aggression factor to make sure he didn't have anyone to contest him. All of which resulted in… well… in the Damian we know now” The boy deduces. 

“Besides, he’s annoying and reckless and _mean_ , all traits of younger siblings” Dick rolls his eyes

“He’s not mean, he’s.... misunderstood “ 

“Yeah” Tim huffs “I just _misunderstood_ the dozens of knives he’s thrown at my head” 

His older brother laughs and gives a mischievous smile “Care for a friendly wager?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer then I thought and I’m still not happy with it butttttt here it is. Let me know what you think :)


	4. Chapter 4

A sharp pain strikes Mara’s eyes as she attempts to open them. _But wasn't it just midnigh_ t...why is it so bright? She glances around the room, taking in all the machinery that surrounds her, the smooth stone of the wall, and the faint flapping of tiny wings. Mara groans as she rubs a hand over her face, Batcave. _Why_ is she still in the damn Batcave? Her vision goes hazy again and for a moment she’s able to pretend that she’s still in Nanda Parbat: the blinding light is that of the newly rising sun, not LED bulbs. The stench of antiseptics is replaced by crisp mountain air. The distant hum of machines is her mother’s soft voice. She opens her eyes again, the dream fades as the room is brought into focus. Her head feels strange, as though it’s been filled with thick cotton. She hears the slow _drip drip drip_ of an I.V. and squints her eyes so that she can read the label on the bag: morphine. She’d never used pain killers in the League, she will _not_ use them here. She may be injured but the pain is to be leaned into, not subdued. Mara pulls the I.V.’s needle from her arm and lays her head on the pillow, staring up at the blank ceiling.

Things had not gone to plan, though admittedly, she hadn’t had much of a plan to begin with. Mara and her mother were barely beginning to formulate a way to warn Damian when they were attacked. Her journey to Gotham was filled with ambushes and accidents that prevented her from finalizing a plan. When she had gotten to the city she had made a mad dash across the rooftops hoping to attract her brother's attention. Together they could have gathered enough forces to overpower the League or work to find a way to break the Lazarus hold on their mother. _Without Damian though...?_ Well, Mara had barely managed to make it to Gotham undetected- and definitely not unscathed- so she had some doubts on her ability to go through with the rest of her plans alone. 

But Damian had rejected her, what was she meant to do now? Grandfather would not welcome her back, not after she’d just assisted his vessel in escaping. Staying in Gotham was not an option either, not when her brother couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her. Mara grimaces at the memory of their spat, she had been angry and hurt, the whole thing could have been avoided if she hadn’t allowed her damned _feelings_ to get in the way of the mission. Though she wasn’t the only one blinded by emotion. Her face sours as she remembers how her brothers had shifted his body in protection of the older boy, Grayson. Damian has always been protective: of his reputation, his beasts, his family. How had that man managed to take up such a substantial portion of her brother’s heart in the short time she had been away?

She didn’t care...

She did _not_ care.

Damian could keep whatever company he pleased. 

Pushing away the thought, Mara moves to sit up but is cut off by a shock of pain. The sensation forces her back on to the bed with a huff of frustration. The girl begins to assess her injuries: most of the cuts on her arms are superficial, though the soreness of them is undeniable. Her hand pulls up the hospital gown, the gash on her right hip is stitched, but puffy and red. 

_Infected_ , she thinks in annoyance. 

Mara scowls down at the bandaged wound, the one that weakened her enough to be forced to stay in this damned cave. _Ugh_ , how had she let herself pass out like that? _I’m stronger than this_. With some effort she manages to sit up. A small sting of pain echoes through her muscles but it feels more manageable now that she is prepared for it. Mara takes a deep breath to ground herself as she swings her leg over the side of the bed to stand.

The whimper escapes without her consent and her arm shoots out to the small table beside her as she braces herself. There is a distance crash as something falls off the table but she’s too focused on the fire shooting up her leg to acknowledge it. 

She sits to relieve some of the pressure, and after a moment the pain passes. Mara is left grimacing down at herself, angry tears beginning pool in her eyes. How had this happened? She was running from her home, her family, and her destiny. All because of a little weakness named Damian. 

She sighs 

Mara thought her brother would be _happy_ to see her. That’s she would reveal their Grandfather’s plan and the siblings would run off to face the threat together. As the team they had once been, that they were _meant_ to be. Instead he rejected her, latching himself to the side of that damned _Grayson_.

_You should have expected this_ , she chides herself. After all, they have been apart for a year now. Even before Damian left their rivalry had been driving a wedge between them, both children desperate to win the approval of Ra’s. She absently traces the pink line of flesh that runs down her face, yes Damian was definitely the more ferocious of the two when it came to gaining the man's favor. It only made sense that he would use the same methods when it came to keeping the approval of his new mentor. 

The door creaks open and Mara leaps to her feet in a less-than-graceful defensive position. Her face scrunching at the pain that follows her movement. The head that peaks in that of a scowling Damian Al Ghul. Mara slips out of her stance but remains tense, guarded. She may love her brother but she’s not stupid. He was likely still angry about the news and barring that, he had been very clear on his position regarding her stay.

“Don’t worry I’ll be gone in a few hours, as soon as whatever sedatives you gave me work there way out of my body” 

He steps fully into the room, closing the door behind him “morphine… you requested it?”

“Of course not, I woke up to it,” Mara says defensively. He was calling her _weak_ , trying to bait her, she knew this but still the offhanded insult hit.

Her face reflects her irritation “What are you doing here? I expected an interrogation and I doubt they’d let _you_ lead it.”

He walks forward with a soft glint in his eye that makes her pause. Damian shifts his weight a bit “I suppose I should apologize for my hostility” he huffs “I thought you came here to make trouble, drag up our past.” He casts a small glance at the door ”As it is they’ve only just accepted me into the family, I don’t need any more complications“ the last bit is half to himself, but she still raises an eyebrow at him.

“Alright then” Mara crosses her arms “go ahead”

Her brother frowns in confusion 

“Well, you said you were going to apologize, so _do it_ ”

The boy rolls his eyes at her and leans against the wall “Drake was able to confirm your story”

Mara huffs as she scans the small window by the door- she knew he didn't really care- “Where is he, Drake? Him and all your new _brothers,_ I thought they’d keep you on a shorter leash” her tone is teasing, but there is a hardness to it

Damian’s eyes widen as if caught, but the expression is quickly turned neutral. 

_Interesting_

“Just outside, I assume they are allowing us to greet so that you might lower your defenses” 

She makes a small humming noise. If that was their plan it had worked. Damian and Mara had always been close, even if they were recently estranged. The older boys had been correct to assume that a familiar face would startle her less, especially when she’d already had such a startling morning. 

“So what happens now?”

“You’ll be given a room in the manor, likely Grayson will attempt an impromptu ’therapy’ session-“

“No”, annoyance flares into her voice, “What are we going to do about Grandfather? About the League?” 

“I’m not sure, we’ve only just begun our investigation”


	5. Chapter 5

Life was simple in the League: follow orders, train hard, and remain loyal to Ra's Al Ghuls mission. In a world where it was every man for themselves Damian felt lucky to have his sister by his side. He'd always thought of them as a team, despite the rivalry and constant competition imposed by their grandfather's expectations. It wasn't until coming to Gotham that Damian learned what a real team was, that they were meant to care and protect each other. 

In the League it was every man for themselves. Back then all Damian had was his sister, they called themselves a team though they treated each other more like rivals. In Gotham Damian learned how hard working with a team really was, still, it was a necessary skill if he wanted to be Robin. As much as the boy wants to fit in with his new family, he missed his sister and the way things used to be.

Damian has missed his sister, but god he hasn't missed how frustrating she can be.

“I’ve given you all the information you need, how can you not have planned anything yet!” She shouts incredulously. Mara fixes him with an intimidating look that- even though he knows she’s never seen it- is a nearly perfect recreation of the Batglare. It must be genetic.

“Would you rather us rush in and ruin everything? They don’t know you’re here, we have the upper hand” 

“They know I escaped” she stresses “I ran into some of Ra’s men when I landed in America.” 

“Is that how you got that?” he gestures to the covered wound on her hip. Mara huffs and sits on the bed, but does not answer

“We need a plan, Grandfather will not hesitate-”

She stops herself and turns her head in the direction of the door. Damian pauses and turns as well. He hears light footsteps approaching. Mara rises to her feet and shoots him a look that is equal parts fearful and annoyed. “Are your brothers coming to make sure we haven’t killed each other?” she says with a tight smile

A knock sounds and a moment later Grayson enters the room carrying a tray of food. “Afternoon” he chirps

“Afternoon? What time is it?” 

“1:30” he answers, “I thought you might be hungry, you’ve been out for a day and a half” 

Her eyes widen a bit and she glares at Damian as if he’d withheld the information 

_You didn’t ask,_ he thinks in frustration 

“I’m not hungry” 

Richard doesn’t seem to believe her, and neither does Damian. When she arrived her robes were dirty, and sliced in some areas, she had to have been traveling for at least a week. She must have left in a hurry, for she lacked a bag, and by extension lacked fresh clothing, replacement weapons, or even basic provisions like food and water. Not to mention her body was healing from a nasty wound. There was no way Mara wasn’t starving by now.

“I’ll leave this here in case you change your mind,” he says kindly “how are you feeling? That cut in your hip was pretty deep”

She tightens her brow as a hand moves unconsciously to the injury. “I’m better now”

“We still need to make sure it’s healing okay. But now that you're up we can move you into a room in the manor. I know this cave isn’t very comfortable” 

Mara rolls her eyes “I'm not concerned about comfort” 

He ignores her stiff reply and shuffles Damian out of the room as Pennyworth comes to check her injuries. His face scrunches into a grimace as he remembers their fight a few days prior, he had landed a kick to her hip that he knows had to have irritated her wound. Damian hadn’t meant to hurt her... much. The shock of Mara’s sudden appearance paired with his need to protect his new life had proved to be a dangerous combination. Fighting each other was nothing new. The siblings were made to spar almost daily in the League and but they kept their matches professional, always about improvement, not inflicting pain. Real injuries only happened when one of them allowed _emotions_ to follow them into the ring.

_Like last night?_

Richard leans on the computer near Drake “How’d it go?” He asks

The older boy frowns “as well as could have been expected, she doesn’t trust us” 

“We need to fix that. If she leaves Grandfather will find her. The only reason she hasn’t left yet is because of that cut on her hip.”

“Speaking of your grandfather, what are we going to do about this whole Ra’s situation?” Drake asks “if Talia’s fresh from the pit then we can’t count on her to keep him in line.”

“He’s unpredictable. We’re gonna have to be vigilant.” Richard rests his chin on his hand in consideration “Dami’s benched until we can get a handle on this”

“ _What_?” The boy demands

“Good call” 

“I won’t hide like a child!”

“Damian...” Richard sighs “I know you're not a child, but Ra’s is gunning for _you_ specifically. If we let you stay in the field then we are putting you right where he wants you”

“Besides,” Drake adds, “do you really think Mara is going to stay in the manor if none of us are here? Best case scenario, she follows us into patrol but more likely she just leaves” 

Damian scowls at that, but Drake has a point, the girl’s wound would be healed soon enough.

“Do you think you can keep her in the manor? At least until we locate the League?”

“Tt, fine” 

The boy swats his brothers hand away “Thanks lil D, I knew I could count on you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, long time no see? I'll be honest this took me so long to post because i wrote a bunch of chapters (15 freaking chapters!) before realizing that I didn't want to write in present tense. I tried rewriting the whole thing in past tense but that is a BEAST of a task and really tedious and boring. So instead I'll be posting what I have already done, but don't be surprised when it suddenly shifts to past tense lmao


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason loves his family, don't get him wrong, but would it kill them to let him have a day off once in a while?

Jason leans against his kitchen counter, a hot cup of coffee in hand. He’d slept till two in the afternoon but still managed to wake up tired. And sore. So goddamn _sore_. Gotham’s underworld had been incredibly active this week. He’d been kept out later than usual last night when he stumbled across Black Masks gang and had to wait for the GCPD to show up and cart the criminals away.

His phone pings and Jason fights the urge to groan. Dick’s been trying to contact him since Friday evening, something about Al Ghuls and body snatching. 

He would get back to him, eventually

...probably

If it was a real emergency the golden boy would have come in person or sent one of the other Bats, he assures himself. As far as Jason is concerned, he’s free to stay the hell away from Ra’s and Talia and all of their League nonsense.

He hears a creak at the window.

A loud crash sounds as he drops his cup in order to aim the gun that rests in his waistband. A smiling blonde pops her head into the opening “What’s up Jaybird?” she says cheerfully 

“Damn it Steph” he growls. The gun is shoved back into its previous hiding space as he leans down to pick up the shattered glass “you coulda’ used the front door. You know, like _normal people_ do”

She hums at that “Na. I tried normal people ways, but you wouldn’t answer your phone”

“What is it? Why’d Dicky send you all the way over to my part of town?”

“Why does this have to do with Dick?” She pouts “can’t a girl just visit her favorite crime-boss-turned-anti-hero just to say ‘hi’?”

“No”

She hops onto his counter “Well I'm not here because of Dick if it makes you feel any better. I don’t know what’s going on at the Manor.“ Steph says in annoyance “First Tim stands me up _again_ \- something about another demon brat? Then when I try to come over in the afternoon Dick says I can’t cuz of a family emergency-“

Jason sighs quietly as the 15 year old continues to rant. He’s not sure how he got stuck as her gossip buddy, he suspects it has something to do with the fact they were both from Crime Alley. Lucky him

“-I mean am I not _family_? Just cuz a League of Assassins preteen shows up-“

That catches his attention

“-e already have one of those! She’s nothing new-“

“She?” Jason asks

“Huh?” The girl looks down at him, obviously not expecting an interruption, “Yeah, Timmy got jumped by some 10 year old League girl looking for Damian, they ended up taking her back to the Cav-“

10 years old

Girl

League of Assassins

_Looking for Damian_

“Mara’s in the Bat Cave?!”

* * *

After her examination, Mara was left alone in her new room. Located in the same wing as Damian’s but a few doors down. There is a spacious bed, wardrobe, and a mirror hanging over the dresser. She opens one of the drawers to see a few long sleeve shirts and slacks, they look suspiciously similar to the outfit her brother was wearing this afternoon. A door near the window suggests a bathroom is attached.

She glances at her reflection and frowns. _Is this really how she’d met her father’s family?_ Her hair sticks up in odd ends and dark bags have set in her soot ridden face. Mara’s gaze drifts to the en suite, she could use a shower. And being clean might help her focus on what her next step would be.

Xxx

Upon feeling suitably cleaned, being careful not to disturb the wound on her hip, she towels off, slipping into the provided turtleneck and slacks. The outfit attempts to portray a sense of class and maturity, but the seriousness looks strange in contrast to her youthful face. She rolls her eyes when she catches her reflection in the mirror. These were most definitely her brother's clothes. 

Her fingers comb through her dark hair as she smooths it down. 

The loud rumbling of her stomach interrupts her. She refused the lunch from Grayson, but the kind man who attended her wounds- Pennyworth- had informed her that dinner would be served at 5:30. There is no clock in the room, but she knew that she had woken a while before 2 and a few hours had passed since then. It had to be 4, if not later. No one was expecting her for at least another hour and the young assassin was more than happy to occupy her time exploring her new environment.

Mara gives a final look in the mirror before exiting her room. 

She wanders down the hallway, past Damian’s room. The stairs are easy to find and she descends to explore the lower level. The first door off of the stairs is an office, and Mara quickly moves past it. A short search reveals that most of the rooms in this hallway are closets, studies, or otherwise unused space. 

Boring

Paintings line the walls and she stops when one in particular catches her eye. A family portrait of two adults and a cheerful looking boy. Their poses are stiff, but it radiates a sense of warmth. Something about the child looks familiar...

Footsteps echo from further down the hallway. 

No one had told her she _couldn’t_ explore the Manor- they had explained very few rules, much to Mara’s chagrin- but she hadn’t gotten express permission either.

It wouldn’t do for someone to find her snooping, her obvious distrust in them would only fuel their own. She hums as she comes to a conclusion: whether or not she could do it, it was best not to let anyone know she _had_ done it.

A door is situated directly to the left of the portrait that Mara has been admiring. She pushes it open and slips in. It’s a library, spacious and well lit. There is a reading area with a couch and coffee table placed nearby. She distantly remembers seeing a library like this on one of her missions, _Sukkur? No. Possibly Kashmir... Though_ -

“Hey kid”

Mara bristles at the sudden noise, but her eyes widen as she spins to face the familiar voice

“Jason!”

Her heart thumbs happily as she throws herself to embrace him, face pressing against the cotton of his shirt. 

She loves her brother, but the two had always been competitors first and siblings second. For Damian she had to be on edge, unsure if his fiery temper would cause him to lash out. Jason though? She knew he’d never hurt her. The little assassin could drop her guard with him, she was safe. 

“I wanted to go up and see you but Alfred said you needed rest”

She breaks their embrace and looks up at him petulantly “That has never stopped you before”

The man shrugs 

“Sometimes it’s better not to get on the old man’s bad side, “

Mara was inclined to agree, the butler may be older, but he certainly wasn’t frail. Even as he gently applied antiseptics to her wounds she knew that he was not a man to be messed with “Besides I knew you wouldn’t stay cooped up in that room for long”

She study’s him. Jason’s appearance hasn’t changed much since his departure from Nanda Parbat, but when she looks into his eyes Mara discovers a clarity that had not been there two years ago. _He’s finally shaken off the pit_ she realizes. 

He walks to the reading area and lays on the plush black couch, “So kid," Mara stands up a little straighter at his tone. Jason's voice is tight with a forced calm. He sounds frustrated, _dangerous_. She nods her head for him to continue. 

"You gonna tell me who gave you that scar?” he gestures to her eye “ cuz you definitely didn't have that last time I saw you”

Mara sucks in a breath as her fingers ghost over the pink line of flesh, she should have known he would ask about it. It had been over a year since she got the damned scar, she should be _over_ _it_. The girl supposes she could lie, chalk it up to a training accident, but how was she supposed to lie to Jason, _to her brother_.

He’d find out eventually, _she'd tell him eventually_ … but for now... for now this was not a conversation she was going to have, not if she could help it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its dinner time at the Wayne Manor

Some people saw Jason as a hothead. A crime boss with loose morals and a good trigger finger. Others saw an undead freak, filling up the hole the Lazarus left with booze and bodies. 

There was a small group that knew about his softer side: the lopsided embraces and begrudging grins he’d occasionally wear. 

But it doesn’t matter how many people he has killed or smiles he has donned, cuz when Jason 

Is face to face with a teary eyed child, he has the good sense to be nervous. 

It does help that this particular child is his baby sister, a murdering, angry, spiteful baby sister, but his nonetheless. 

The girl avoids his worried look “How did your revenge plot go?” she says instead “Mother wouldn’t let us contact you after you left” 

He can tell that the scar is a sensitive subject so he lets her redirect slide “Didn’t quite go to plan, but I got to scare the hell out of Bruce” he says with a toothy grin.

“Good” She sits on the couch, draping her legs over him “you’re in much better spirits now, I can tell” They sit in silence for a moment, he considers getting up to grab a book.

“Hey Mars? “ the girl scrunches her nose at the nickname but responds with a _hmm_? “Tim filled me in on what’s going on with the League. I’m... “ He shifts uncomfortably from his spot on the couch, “I’m sorry about what happened to Talia”

Jason had grown close to the youngest Al Ghuls during his two years of training with the League, but he owed his life to Talia. She treated him like he was her own, loved him just as she had loved Mara and Damian.

“She’s strong” Mara dismisses, “It won't take long for mother to learn how to suppress the effects of the Lazarus and then this whole vessel nonsense will be put to rest” her tone dares him to argue

“Talias a fighter, can’t deny that” he agrees “when this all blows over… will you go back to them?” Jason asks carefully 

She hesitates “I don’t know.... if Mother allows it”

Jason frowns, Mara was the quieter of the two Al Ghul siblings but the girl always knew what she wanted. She’d nod dutifully during her classes but rant rave over the lessons when in private, usually to Jason. 

Now though? There is no fire dancing through her eyes, no rebellion to contain. She seems... muted. 

_She just turned her back on her mom dickhead_ his mind chimes in _of course she’s out of it_

Which, fuck, _true_. Mara is still a little girl, one trained in the art of the kill, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be upset over her mother’s death (or resurrection.)

He sucks on this teeth “well, whether or not you go back to the League in like,” he waves his hand distantly “a few months, or whatever, when Talia bounces back, at least you’ve got a place to stay now”

The little girl narrows her eyes “yes, I suppose I should count my lucky stars that I’m allowed to stay in this stupid city with all of my fathers stupid children” she says with a falsely sweet voice. 

A chuckle escapes him 

“At least you have me and Damian, the gang under one roof again”

“You don’t live here”

“Well we do have family dinner twice a month, so it'll be the whole gang under one roof _every once in a while_ ” he amends 

Jason rises from his seat, tossing Mara’s legs off him in the process, “come on kid, it’s almost time for dinner” 

* * *

Mara and Jason are the first to arrive in the dining room. When Pennyworth sees them he gives a polite smile and hands the boy a stack of plates. Mara is about to snip about the impropriety of assisting the help when Jason gives her a pointed look “I’ll show you how to set a table”

She presses her lips into a thin line but follows suit, placing plates and cups and napkins around the table. A few minutes into the pair’s argument over whether the cup should be placed on the _left_ or _right_ side of the plate an unfamiliar blonde appears, “This is Stephanie Brown, Spoiler” her brother explains. The newly dubbed Brown nods “Spoiler, Batgirl, Robin, I wear many hats” she says with an annoyingly cheery tone. When the younger girl’s expression does nothing but sour he continues with “she’s a friend. My friend” _you can trust her_ goes unspoken. 

“And this is Cassandra Cain” the dark haired woman nods. Mara blinks owlishly up at her, she may not know who the _Spoiler_ is, but Cassandra Cain is legendary. 

The blonde girl is pleased to resolve the dispute (and Mara does NOT scowl at being corrected, that would be childish) and helps finish with the placements. Jason checks his phone and sighs “it’s already 6, I’m gonna go make sure none of the dumbasses have their foot stuck in the toilet or something“

Mara looks longingly at his retreating figure, not wanting to be left alone with the older girls but not willing to risk looking weak by trailing after him. Mara is adjusting the angle of the cutlery when the butler enters the room again. 

“Thank you for your assistance mistresses,” he says as he brings food out of the kitchen to situate on the table. 

“Anytime Alfie” Brown replies. Mara only gives a nod of acknowledgment, too distracted by the delectable smell of the meal. Food at the League was bland, nourishment being more important than flavor. As heirs Damian and Mara were privy to small embellishments and occasional treats but meals this extravagant were reserved for special celebrations, not dinner. She fights the instinct to drool. 

“Sit, the boys should be down shortly” the man commands, before he too leaves to track his missing wards. The two girls sit towards the middle of the table, Mara herself hangs back awkwardly, not sure what seat she was meant to take. 

“Jason's seat is there” Brown points to a chair close to the kitchen door “you can sit next to him if you want” 

Mara gives a quick nod to the older girl and shuffles to her seat, back so straight she doesn’t even graze the back of the chair. For a few agonizing moments, she fears that she’ll be forced into small talk, because even with her eyes fixed to the floor she can see Brown buzzing with energy, bored at the quiet of the room. Thankfully, Jason enters the dining room, dragging Drake by one arm. 

“Jesus Jay, I said I’d be down in a minute” he huffs 

“You know I hate keeping Alfred waiting”

“The frogmarch seems a little excessive,” he says in a low voice, slipping into the seat on the other side of Brown.

Jason gives her a look that she assumes means _How did you know where I sit?_ As he plops down in the chair beside her.

“Where is Damian?” She asks

Drake perks up “He was in the weight room a minute ago, he should be on his way already” 

She resists the urge to sink into her seat. This was already taking too long.

Just as Mara is considering the merits of looking for her brother- if only to make this damned meal go by a bit faster- does his body come into view. His mouth is turned up in a smile as he looks back to whoever is behind him. Grayson becomes visible, laughing loudly as the pair enters the dining room. Mara narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knows that they are Batman and Robin but do they need to do _everything_ together? In her short time in Gotham, she has not once seen them apart. 

She wasn’t jealous that he was making her brother smile, she simply was not. 

* * *

From across the table Tim can see Mara’s face sour. He would think that to be weird, especially because nothing has really changed in the last few minutes, but reminds himself that he doesn’t know the girl well enough to tell when she’s acting strange. For all he knows the scrunch of her nose could be a normal occurrence.

Steph bumps her shoulder into his own and Tim smiles. Movie night may have been canceled, but family dinner was always a chance to see each other

The group begins to serve themselves, but there is little chatter. He can practically feel his girlfriend vibrating nervously at the silence. Stephanie shakes her leg beside him, he gives her 10 seconds before she bursts. Dick saves them “How long are you in town Cas?” 

The dark haired girl smiles “not sure, working a case” 

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Black Mask? He’s been stirring up a lot of trouble in lower Gotham” Jason asks between bites.

,

“Don’t think so, but..” she shrugs “possible” 

“Speaking of possible, how the hell did you guys think you’d keep me from the Manor when I have a new baby sister?!” Steph interrupts incredulously. Wow, a full 13 seconds. New record?

“I mean come on! She clearly needs a big sister, you have her in _Damian’s clothes_ ” she gestures to Mara’s ill fitting slacks and long sleeve. 

The girl in question blushes lightly at the disapproval in Steph’s voice, clearly not understanding why the outfit was bad, but knowing it was all the same.

“It’s stylish Brown, but I won’t waste my breath trying to explain fashion to you” Damian scoffs 

The blonde rolls her eyes at him and leans forward “Don’t worry, sister Steph is gonna take good care of you” 

Jason laughs and nudges the girl beside him “hear that kid? You’ve got a big sister now”

“Wonderful” Mara has a bored look on her face, but he can see the slightest shine of amusement in her eyes. 

After a moment Dick pipes up “You guys are twins right?” Tim smirks, thinking back to the bet they had made that afternoon.

Damian and Mara nod

“So who’s older”

“Me,” Mara says with a boastful smile 

“Yes!” Tim shouts, watching as his older brother begrudgingly pulls out his wallet

Damian crosses his arm and huffs “only by a few min- you were gambling on this?” 

Their brother shrugs “I thought it’d be easy money. You’re the heir of the Al Ghuls, and usually, that title goes to the oldest…. kid….“ 

Dick hesitates when he sees the way the two preteens are glaring at each other. Mara’s nails tap rhythmically against the wood of the table, her brother clenches his jaw with pursed lips.

Which is weird... definitely weird. The first time Tim met Damian the little brat wouldn’t stop going on about how he was the _blood son_ and the _heir to Al Ghul_. That he would stop himself from bragging now was... well it wasn’t natural. “But maybe the League's line of succession isn’t the most fun dinner topic” Dick laughs nervously, running a hand through his hair.

The meal continues with casual conversation about the week’s plans, past events, and other miscellaneous subjects, pointedly avoiding anymore talk about the League. 

Xxx

Red Robin and Spoiler land on top of a Gotham rooftop. The Bats, barring Robin, had left for patrol a little while after dinner. The night had been slow, so the two teenagers sat on the ledge of a building, chatting idly

“So...” she drawls out “the whole Mara situation, kinda crazy huh?”

Tim nods “I mean, you’d think Talia would stop pulling aces out of her sleeve at some point”

She looks at him in mock horror “You think they have more kids?”

“God help us if they do” he responds without hesitation, “Dick asked and Damian started talking about some Leviathan thing. Mara got all huffy though, don’t wanna know what _that’s_ about”

“Speaking of huffy, what’s with the whole heir business, you think it’s just cuz she’s a girl?” 

Steph and Tim make eye contact 

“Considering it's _Ra’s_ we’re talking about…. Yeah, definitely a possibility”

Steph nods her head in agreement, getting up to stretch. “Cuz if it wasn’t a gender thing then why wouldn’t Talia have taken over the League years ago”

They lapse into a comfortable silence. Beside him the girl flips onto her hands, doing cartwheels across the roof as he messes with the holocomputer on his wrist. 

“We could just ask one of them”

Steph laughs “oh yeah, Red, I’m sure that would go over great” she halts her gymnastics and makes her way to where he is sitting. “I mean, did you see the look on their faces when Dick brought it up?”

The boy hums thoughtfully “true, I thought we might get a demon-spawn-showdown part two” 

Steph opens her mouth as if to speak but pauses. They hear a shout and what sounds like the beginnings of a fight from the alley below. She smiles and jerks her head in a _let’s go_ manner.

Before the pair jump from the rooftop the blonde smiles “I’m just glad to have a little sister” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, comments, and questions are always appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maras visit to the gym takes an unexpected turn

Mara has been stuck in Wayne Manor for a week and she is _bored_. She’s supposed to be hiding from the League, so traversing Gotham is out of the question, the injury- while mostly healed- made it difficult to train unless she wanted to be dodging an angry Jason the whole time, and she’s pretty sure she’s explored the entire manor by this point. 

_Bored_

The Brown girl had attempted to take her into town to go shopping a few days ago but was met with a hard “ _No_ ” from each of the older boys. Instead, she used a Wayne Inc company card to buy a few bags of clothes for Mara.

“I wasn’t sure of your size, or your style, so I got a little bit of everything!” the girl had explained

Mara attempted to act uninterested as she tried on the offered clothing, but couldn’t help the small smile that graced her face. She’d never worn western fashion before, and Brown had good taste. She had raised an eyebrow at a few of the skirts and shorts “They offer no protection.”

The older girl had only laughed and murmured about Wayne’s and their pragmatism, offering to return them. Mara bit out a hasty “No” before schooling her features. As impractical as the clothes were, she couldn’t deny the fact that they were pretty. It was… it was _nice_ to have some pretty clothes. 

Brown was interesting. Boisterous in a way that was surprisingly charming. Damian had given her a report on the manor residence, ranking them by strength, intelligence, and annoyance level. She rolled her eyes at the fact that Brown had the highest score in the last category, her brother had never had much patience for lively people. 

The older girl hadn’t been by the manor in a few days. It was late May, school was wrapping up for the year, so Mara found herself alone for most of the day. She had been shocked to find out Damian attended an American middle school, and bursted into peals of laughter when she saw his uniform. 

“You’re just lucky the League can’t know you’re here, otherwise Grayson wouldn’t hesitate to throw you into that damned building too” he had shouted

She still laughs a little every morning when she sees him sitting at the breakfast table in his ridiculous navy shorts. 

The girl sighs as she looks at the mirror. Brown had bought her an arsenal of incredibly comfortable joggers and she slipped into a pair of them. She pulls her hair away from her face giving a nod to her reflection before entering the hallway. The preteen is greeted by a mass of fur and legs, her brother's Great Dane was extremely affectionate and Mara smiles to herself as the dog walks with her. She had attempted to avoid the creature, frustrated that her brother hadn’t ceased his affinity for collecting beasts, but she had warmed up easily to sweet Titus. It was nice to have a companion when everyone else was away.

Mara stops when she got to the bottom of the stairs, considering which way to go. She’d read in the library yesterday, and visited the music room the day before. Her face scrunches into a little frown, she doesn’t feel like repeating either activity.

She looks down the hall and hums, she’d found the personal gym on her second day in the manor. Pennyworth had told her to refrain from any strenuous activities for 3 weeks which meant that any form of training was off limits. She had scoffed when he told her at dinner her first night, if she was stuck in the manor the least they could do was let her _train_. Jason gave her a look from across the dinner table and the girl simply nodded her understanding. 

_Jason’s not here to stop me_ , she thinks mischievously.

Her feet move swiftly down the hall, it doesn’t take her more than two minutes before she’s face to face with the door. She looks around suspiciously, half expecting someone to stop her, before slipping into the room. Mara is met with soft pants and the dull thud of feet landing on a training mat. The girl rolls her eyes, _of course_ Grayson would be here.

She considers turning around. Sliding back out the door and hoping he hasn’t noticed her. 

“Hey Mara” calls out an inviting voice. 

He’s Batman, of course he has noticed her

“Grayson” comes her clipped response 

“I though Alfred wanted you to take it easy for the next few weeks”

The girl frowns in annoyance “I’ve _been_ taking it easy, if I spend any more time sitting I think my muscles might deteriorate”

The man laughs at her comment “Knock yourself out then, but don’t push yourself too hard”

She nods curtly, glad that he had not pressed the issue. She moves to the corner of the training room, as far as she could be from the man, and runs through her drills. Her feet slide into the first stance and she smirks, she has missed this. It feels good to have her muscles stretch and contract with each movement. A few times she has to pause and adjust her stance, unable to complete them comfortably with the healing wound.

Though he is still engrossed in his acrobatics, she knows Grayson is watching her. She can’t blame him though, he was most likely trying to gauge her skill set. The girl decides its best not to give him anything to worry about and only practices nonlethal strikes. She spares him a glance and nearly has her breath taken from her.

From the corner of her eye she was able to gather that he was practicing flips, turns, and other bar tricks, but when she gave him her full attention... wow. She has never seen agility like this before. He flys from bar to bar as though he was more comfortable up there than on the ground. Each seemingly pointless twist or turn culminating into the most spectacular show of athleticism the young girl has ever seen. 

He lands softly, catches her staring, and bows. 

Mara blushes at being caught but manages not to shrink in on herself “That was impressive” she responds evenly 

“Thanks,” he says happily “I saw you running through your drills, I think you might be better than Damian” 

Her lips twitch into an almost-smile. Though she hated to admit it, all of her brother's boasting about being one of the best fighters in the League was founded in truth. The siblings were nearly equal in hand to hand combat, swords was where Damian really shined, and she had the scars to prove it. But Mara has had a year to practice and she was eager to spar with him again, curious about what skills he had managed to pick up in Gotham. 

“Maybe, but don’t tell Damian that” she looked up through her ducked head and her eyes shined with amusement. Mara doesn’t like Grayson but she can’t deny that he is charming. 

He looks as though he’s going to respond, something quick and smart and witty. Something to endear her further to him. 

“I need to practice” Mara turns away and heads in the direction of the punching bags. 

The girl wraps her wrist mechanically and soon finds herself striking the bag. Stupid Grayson. How dare he impress her with his acrobatics. Or look at her with his kind eyes. Speak to her with a soft voice. She wasn’t a child! She didn’t need to be _coddled_. Mara hits the bag again, sparing a glance at the stretching man. He was horrible, she decided, absolutely the worst. 

She is hitting the bag hard, harder than strictly necessary, especially because she’s supposed to be easing into this. But to hell with precaution. Mara is angry and sad and _frustrated_ and confused. Her brother hardly speaks to her, their mother is gone, she is all alone here. 

Through her muddled thoughts she doesn’t hear the light padding of feet approaching. A hand lays itself on her shoulder, a voice is speaking softly, but the girl is too deeply entrenched into training mode. She spins around, sending a powerful strike to the soft mass behind her. It takes a moment, but she recognizes the form of a doubled over Richard Grayson before her.

No.

No no no no _no_ . She’d really done that hadn’t she? Damian was going to be furious. Jason was going to find out she hadn’t been resting. Mara didn’t want to know what _Grayson_ was going to do. 

The girl runs, it’s cowardly and childish. Something that would not have been tolerated in the League but it doesn’t matter in this moment, all Mara cares about is getting away

She doesn’t notice the hot tears falling down her face till she's halfway across the Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'm basically done editing the next one so it should be up in a few days!  
> Take Care!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick is on the hunt for a certain assassin

Dicks first thought is  _ ow _ . His second thought is also  _ ow _ . But by the third, he’s able to change it up a bit: _ what the hell happened _ . One minute he was training, brushing up on some moves he hadn’t practiced in a few weeks, the next he was clutching his stomach as Mara flew from the room. He should have known better than to touch her, but she had looked so sad. Punching the bag with fat tears streaming down her face, he  couldn’t just leave her there.

He pulls up his shirt and inspects the already forming bruise  _ maybe he could have _ , he muses. He’d been trying all week to get to know his newly acquired little sister, and at this point Dick is pretty sure she is avoiding him. Like, 110% sure. 

The man was aware that his family called him the demon whisperer for being able to get through to Damian, so it had been natural for all of them to assume the same would be true for Mara. Hell, Dick had assumed that it would be the same with Mara. But alas, the girl avoids him like the plague and scowls every time she sees him. 

Dick crosses his arms with a huff, it wasn’t fair that he was getting the cold shoulder, he hadn’t done anything to her! Dick was  _ definitely _ the nicest member of the entire family, it just didn’t make sense.

But Mara was still a kid, 11 years old, and kids didn’t always make sense. Hormones and emotions and everything. Things weren’t any easier when you were dealing with an angry, traumatized, cult-raised 11 year old. 

The man slips into some shoes and pads down to the kitchen to get ice. Alfred’s friendly face comes into view as he opens the door “Master Dick, please refrain from tainting the entire manor with your post workout stench” his foster grandfather says, only half-joking.

“Sorry Alfred, I just came to get some ice”

The older man raises an eyebrow as he watches his ward fill a bag, “Little slip in the training room” he explains sheepishly

Alfred says nothing and turns back to the fridge. Dick perks up, plan already forming in his head “Hey is that Mara’s lunch?” A nod “I can’t deliver it to her, you know she doesn’t really like eating alone down here” 

The butler hums in consideration, “Very well, but the meals won’t be done for another 10 minutes, plenty of time for you to clean up” Alfred says with a pointed look

He raises his hands in defeat and rushes to his own room to rinse off. 

Xxx

Feeling much better after a quick shower and a new set of clothes, Dick can’t help but smile to himself as he heads towards Mara’s room, two lunches in hand. He is _going_ to win the girl over.

He soon finds himself outside her door, takes a breath to steady himself, and knocks. 

Nothing

After a minute, he knocks again.

His hand jiggles the doorknob, which isn’t exactly good manners... but what the hell. He opens the door carefully, half expecting to find a knife embedded in the wall beside him, and is instead greeted by an empty room. 

“Mara?” He calls as he moves further into the space. The bed is impeccably made, as though it’s not been slept on. The windows blinds are securely shut, no posters or drawings are hung up. It looks as though no one has lived here at all, despite the fact that it’s been in use for about a week now. The only evidence of Mara’s existence comes in the form of a yoga mat laid on the floor and a flat pillow situated at the head. _Has.. has she been sleeping there?_ Weird. Maybe he should ask about that, well that is if he can find her. 

Deciding that snooping around her bedroom is probably not the best way to earn the young girl’s trust, Dick exits. He still has their lunch, and he’s starting to get hungry. 

Xxx

Dick was the first kid Bruce took in. He had lived in the manor for 8 years before moving out and had done a lot of exploring during that time. He knows the place like the back of his hand, every room, hallway, and crawlspace had been discovered by the original boy wonder while he was still wearing pixie boots. 

But his knowledge about the layout of Wayne Manor has been absolutely no help in the current task of finding his little sister. He had first checked the library- somewhere both she and Jason enjoyed spending time- then moved on to the living room, popped into a few studies, the music room, and even the gaming room (even though he knows she’s never played a video game in her life, the poor girl) but to no avail. 

He decides to go up to the roof, clear his head and think on where to look next. Maybe he shouldn’t have offered to deliver the food, all it had resulted in this far was a late lunch and a very hungry Dick Grayson. He opens the door to the roof and pauses-  _ unbelievable _ . Why didn’t he check here first?- because ten feet in front of him sits Mara Al Ghul looking for all the world like she had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

She blinks owlishly at him and he sees her small shoulders tense up. Her eyes make contact with the plates in his hand and she softens a bit. “I didn’t know this was your space, I’ll-“

“You’re okay, I’m pretty sure everyone comes up here to clear their head sometimes.” he joins her on the slanted surface “I’ve been looking for you for like an hour, I have lunch” he waves the plate enticingly. Mara nods as he passes her a meal.

He can feel the nervous energy radiating from her, if she was a normal kid he imagines she would be shaking her leg something awful right now. As it was, Mara keeps her head standing proudly as she eats her lunch, the slightest of tremors move through her hand as she lifts the fork to her mouth

The pair sit and eat, enjoying the rays of sunlight that managed to break through the Gotham gloom. Mara still looks guarded, and after a few minutes, Dick decides he can’t stand any more tense silence. “So about what happened in the training room..”

“I won’t apologize for my actions. You startled me, it won’t happen again” she responds sharply 

Dick frowns “actually I was going to apologize to you” Which earns him an incredulous look from the girl

“I avoid you all week, invaded your gym, wound you-“

“I would say wound” he mutters, but she plows on

“-then turn and run like a child. Yet you still find the need to  _ apologize _ ?” her eyes narrow in confusion. 

He only shrugs, “I shouldn’t have touched you without permission, especially when you were upset”

“I was not upset!“ she shouts. Their eyes meet and the little assassin deflates, her fork falling to her plate “I don’t understand this place” Mara mumbles 

he smiles “Hey, I’m your brother. I’ll help you figure it all out”

He doesn’t touch her, but he slides his hand closer to hers and counts it as a good sign when she doesn’t automatically break the offending limb. He sees her scowl at his words, but he thinks maybe, just maybe, her heart isn’t fully in it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just... I just really want Dick and Mara to be close :(  
> As it is, she sort of resents him bc Damian looks up to him, and its pretty obvious the two care for each other. Dick just wants to help her but its going to be a little while till she's ready to openly accept that kind of affection. Anyways, let me know what you guys think, and also if you have anything you'd like to see I'd love to include your suggestions!   
> Take Care!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, questions, and suggestions greatly appreciated!


End file.
